Pushing themselves to stay disciplined
Meet the students who initiated their switch to private school
Joshua Maida didn’t think he was private school material when he graduated from public school in Grade 8. He’d seen his older brother Nicholas — now studying law at Queen’s University — go through Toronto’s St. Michael’s College School, but it wasn’t until he’d nearly finished Grade 9 at his local public high school that he told his parents Frank and Lucy that he wanted to change schools and put on the St. Mike’s blue blazer and tie.
“I knew that if I went there I’d be happier,” he remembers.
It’s the sort of decision lots of kids and their parents are making at what they consider a crucial time in their lives, and it’s never taken lightly.
There’s the money for privateschool tuition, of course, but more than that they talk about discipline and potential and getting serious about the future.
Emma Abela has just started Grade 11 at Blyth Academy in Toronto’s west end after switching from the public system. She says she knew that private school would be more work, but insists that was exactly what she thought she needed.
“I want to spend a long time in post-secondary education, so I take school really seriously and I’m pretty strict on myself. In public school, if you miss an assignment, that’s on you. In private school, they’ll nail you down and say, ‘You have to hand in this assignment.’ I like to be strict on myself, so I like everyone around me to be strict as well.”
“Emma made this choice,” says her mother, Kristi Kennedy. “This was not my choice. She genuinely wants to get her knowledge base and learning up to a high level.”
Kennedy says she was amazed at how much homework her daughter was getting, but notes the engagement with her teachers compensated for the workload.
“With the private-school system there’s way more homework, but the class size is smaller so she seems to have more accountability to her teachers.”
Kennedy adds that, as a parent, she also found herself becoming more engaged with her daughter’s school. “I’d say there’s a lot more phone calls home and followup, so if your child screws up you’re going to know pretty quickly.”
Laurie Foley, the principal at Blyth Academy, says there are lots of reasons why kids and their parents choose the private-school system.
“It depends on the student. Every student and situation is unique. They might be here because of social needs or academic needs, or it might be a flexibility issue. They might have a program they do outside of school, something that’s really important to them, like sports or music, and they need something a little more flexible.”
Lucy Maida, Joshua’s mother, says their friends and neighbours were baffled by her and her husband Frank putting their kids in the private system.
“We got a lot of ‘Why would you spend all that money? They’re getting the same curriculum!’ But the biggest part of a child’s learning is not their ABCs and 123s, and that is where the biggest difference comes in at a school like St. Mike’s.”
The Maidas had been through the school with Joshua’s brother, and made sure Joshua knew what he’d be facing.
“I knew that he needed to take it more seriously, because the thing with private schools is that if you aren’t serious you won’t be there. We talked to him a lot about keeping on top of things, being an advocate for yourself, going in and asking questions, making connections with teachers.” Joshua echoes Emma when he talks about finding — and wanting — the discipline required in a private school. “It was the work ethic. Keeping up with the work, talking to teachers, staying on top of everything and you’ll be where you want to be.”
Now in his final year at St. Mike’s, Joshua is just as grateful for what he experienced outside of the classroom — the many, many hours of required community volunteer work and trips to places such as Cuba, and the school talent show that helped him discover a talent for music and singing.
“I knew that I’d be given more chances there to do well,” he says.